Reading Notes: Brer Rabbit, Part B

 (Found on Flickr, represents the little rabbits)

"A Story About the Little Rabbits" in Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings by Joel Chandler Harris (1881).

In this story, we have two main characters, Brer Fox and the little rabbits. While the little rabbits' parents are gone, Fox strolls his way over to see what the little rabbits are up to. We are given a background story of Brer Wolf who found himself in a similar situation and was extremely tempted to eat the little rabbits. Fox knows this story, and continues to tell himself that he cannot have the same fate as Wolf because he actually is friends with the little rabbits' parents.

So as Fox waits for the parents to return, the little rabbits start talking to him. They are messing with him and start to annoy him, so Fox begins to turn on his previous thinking. He starts to have the little rabbits complete seemingly normal tasks, but there all in an effort to have them set up their own trap. He starts by having them collect sugar cane, and the little rabbits comply because they want to show Fox that they are strong. He then has them run down to the river to fetch him some water, and again, they run to fulfill the Fox's request.

However, they have a hole in their bucket and get upset by this. As they cry, a bird comes to sing them a song for encouragement, and they pick themselves back up and fix the bucket. They return the water to the Fox for one final request. Brer Fox has them move a wooden log over to where he has started a fire, and this is where Fox plans to eat the little rabbits. As they're moving the wood, the same bird comes again to sing a song to them. 

Just as the little rabbits were putting the log over the fire, their dad - Brer Rabbit - returned and saw what was happening. He asked Fox to spend time with him alone, but Fox knew that he had gone too far. Fox simply gathered his things and left, for he had fallen into temptation.